Rome was among the first countries to attain civilization. The country brought forth various people who came up with theories that described the world thereby changing people’s perspectives on various matters. During the ancient times, Rome had a set of rules for each division made by rulers that governed the Romans way of life. With time, the rules changed, and people embraced the civilization of people and they no longer follow the ways. However, the history of events and items are available and remind people of where they came from. The paper looks at the ordinary life during the ancient times of Rome, focusing on how the daily life of the Roman was as well as other activities people engaged in from day-to-day. The paper will also look at the authority and religion that people adhered to during the time.
Romans would start their day with light. The breakfast consisted of water or wine and bread (Roman Daily Life par 2). If that were not available, one would purchase wheat pancake on their way to school or work. At other times, one had the option to slot in fruit, meat or fish as part of their breakfast but once in a blue moon. Men and boys had an attire called togas (Roman Daily Life par 3). Later in the day, they would change and wear tunics, a shirt like cloth a bus slightly bigger. On the other hand, women and girls wore tunics that dropped to their ankles and tightened around their waist.
The main work for the women was to take care of the home and look after the family (Roman Daily Life par 4). She was responsible for the family meals and the compound. Girls helped their mothers in doing some of the chores. However, a few girls went to schools like the boys. Men had the responsibility of feeding his family. He would toil hard for the daily meals through working on the farm or shop (Roman Daily Life par 4). Men undertook various jobs apart from farming. There was baking, building, making garments and trading goods. Some went to white-collar jobs like doctors, lawyers, and teachers. The majority of the men opted for military jobs as it had a decent salary, enough to support a family. Unlike recent times where the average working hours is six, ancient Rome men worked until mid-day and retired for the rest of the day.
Schools in the ancient Rome resembled a bakery or a small Roman shop. The whole school fitted in one of such kind of room, and it was enough to cater for a small group of students (Roman Daily Life par 5). The teachers or schoolmasters were strict on the students. The worst teachers were the ones who followed Aristotle’s words that young people do not learn when playing (Roman Daily Life par 5). During the ancient times, education was taken seriously, and the curriculum was almost the same as it is in recent times. What sets the two apart is the revision of recent curriculum. The most difficult subject at that time was Mathematics. The use of the six Romans letters, I, V, X, L, C, and M in creating all numbers led to the subjecting being termed as difficult. Students learnt how to communicate and write. They learned how to tell time, how to calculate money and other life skills that would assist them in their day-to-day life. Other subjects taught included weights and measurements, philosophy, history and public speaking (Roman Daily Life par 5).
At the end of the day, when the boys are out of school, and their fathers closed down for the day, they all went to baths (Daily life in Ancient Rome par 4). There was a small payable fee for one to enjoy the bath. People came to wash off the day’s sweat and catch up with their friends. The place served more of as a social place than a bathing area since most of the time; people were seen sitting in various places chatting the afternoon away. The bathhouses had gardens, libraries, gymnasiums and other recreation facilities. There were cold rooms to cool off a hot day and hot baths to bring back the warmth of a chilly day (Daily life in Ancient Rome par 4). Apparently, the baths did not have restrictions as to who was to be where. Men and boys would share the same facility. It was one venue where the rich and poor met on even ground. In short, the baths were a neutral ground where there was equality regardless of age or economic status.
After supper, ancient Romans would dedicate the remaining time for leisure. Many Romans family would spend their time in the fields or gardens and enjoy the time together. The children would seize the opportunity and ask questions about their family and the Roman history (Daily life in Ancient Rome par 7). People had various talents such as music, dancing, art and sports. The devotion of leisure time brought out the real artists within the Roman kingdom. Great artist got to showcase their works to the whole world. Ancient romans enjoyed plays and chariot races. The availability of entertainment options was wide, and people had a lot to chose from. One of the infamous entertainment joints was the gladiator fights. It attracted a huge crowd from far and wide. It mainly involved trained fighters, mainly slaves, which would match up against Roman fighters or other slaves and fight each other to the satisfaction of the crowd. Most of the time the fights lead to deaths and the crowd loved it more (Daily life in Ancient Rome par 8).
Religion played a significant role in the lives of Romans. Most families would visit temples and churches to share with others. A few families had shrines at home, which they dedicated to their gods and goddesses (Roman Daily Life par 7). A similarity existed between the Greeks and early Romans in that they believed gods and goddesses stayed at the top of Mount Olympus. Most families would seek these gods for guidance and protection. The Romans attributed their success in life to the relationship they had with the gods. They believed the gods were with them in times of need. Even though the foundations for the catholic statute and church came from Rome, the people at first praised the gods more than they did to God.
Kings governed the ancient Rome for a while before the Romans thought of forming a government that would allow them to govern themselves (How was Rome governed par 1). Rome was a democratic nation irrespective of their feared army that raided other nations and captured its people as slaves. They would meet up and elect officials, known as consuls, for the assembly. They held the power for a year, and if they did not deliver their promises, they would not get back on the assembly for the next year. The post of a counsel required an individual who is competent otherwise they will face punishment (How was Rome governed par 3). There were other elected officials like the magistrates, judges, and tax collectors. A group of people referred to as the ‘Ten Tribunes of People’ had the primary duty to represent the poor people of Rome.
The consuls received advice from the senate since they were not in a position to know everything that happened in the nation. The senate comprised of about 600 leading Rome citizens who hailed from the wealthy families (How was Rome governed par 4). People entrusted them because their thoughts led to the formation of the Romanian law. The senate met up to discuss issues that affected Rome such as financial issues and proposed new laws. The success of the Roman government led to their great power against Europe and the Mediterranean (How was Rome governed par 5). However, as the Roman Empire grew, ambitious men thought of electing an emperor who would govern them. The decision led to the election of the first emperor, Julius Caesar. However, the decision led to the fall of the Rome government. Caesar was a selfish ruler who wanted to control Rome and its empire.
In conclusion, the Roman Empire started with a huge leap in the right way. They established their footsteps early and gained respect from other nations. Their way of life was smooth, and it bears fruit as per the success stories. However, the selfishness of some individuals led to its fall.
Works Cited
Daily life in Ancient Rome. 05 October 2014. http://www.ancient-rome.biz/daily-life.html. 02 December 2014.
How was Rome governed. 2 December 2014. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/how_was_rome_governed.htm. 2 December 2014.
Roman Daily Life. 2 December 2014. http://www.historyforkids.net/roman-daily-life.html. 2 December 2014.
